Counterbalance hook-off for oil-pumping equipment



June 2@ 9 QQO 1,590,425@ f J. R. GGNOUX ET AL R OIL PUMPING EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 COUNTERBALANCE HOOK-OFF FO Filed May 9 1925 Jun@ 29 1926. y 1,590,438A

J. R. GIGNOUX ET AL COUNTERBALANCE HOOKOFF FOR OIL PUMPING EQUIPMENT Filed May 9 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TVO/w95 651/ /vs 747% Patented June $7.9, 1926.

UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B.. GIGNOUX ANI) THOMAS SEVERNS, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS T SHELL COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A COB- IORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

COUNTERBALNCE HOOK-OFF FOR OIL-PUMPIN G EQUIPMENT.

Application inea nay 9, 1925. serial No. 29,107.

This invention has to do with oil ywell pumping equipment. In the oil producing industry, oil is l'pumped from a well by pumping equipment which generally com- 6 prises a pump situated near the bottom of the well. The barrel of this pump is secured at the lower end of a pump tubing which'extends upwardly through the well and has a stuiiing boX at the upper end thereof. The

10 plunger of the pump is reciprocated by a string of sucker rods which extends upwardly through the pump tubing. A polish rod is secured to the upper end of the string of sucker rods and extends through the stuffing box at the upper end ofthe pump tubing.

The polish rod is connected to one end ot a walking beam which pivots on a Sampson post of the derrick of the well. The Walking beam is oscillated by means of a walking beam crank. This walking beam crank is associated by a pitman with the end of the walking beam opposite from the end to which the sucker rod string is connected. p `When the walking beam crank is rotated, an

oscillating movement is transferred to the walking beam by means of the pit-man, This reciprocates the string of sucker rods and operates the pump plunger in the barrel.

The operation of the pump plunger elevates oil through the pump tubing, which oil is conducted from the upper end of the tubing by a pipe which extends to a suitable storage or elsewhere.

In pumping equipment for deep wells, the r weight ot the plunger on the walking beam is very great, and it is necessary to counterbalance this great plunger weight by use of a counterweight which is attached to the walking beam on the side of the pivot thereo of, remote from the end to which the string of sucker rods is connected. This counterbalancing of the walking beam allows the pumping equipment to operate with a minimum strain and with a minimum consump- 5 tion of power. Great ditiiculty is encountered when the plunger is disconnected from the walking beam during the operation of the pumping equipment. this occurring due to a weight break in the string of sucker rods. llt/hen a disconnection of this character occurs, there is a preponderance of weight by reason of the counterweigbt on one side of the walking beam. This swings this end of the walking beam violently downward with a bum'p against the derrickf and 55 prevents it from oscillating.- The walking beam crank lever continues to operate and the pitman becomes disconnected from the walking beam. The pitman will fall from place and be destroyed, sometimes causing damage to the machinery.

It is an object of our invention to provide a counterweight construction for counterbalancing the weight of a pump plunger on a walking beam. We provide a weight @5 which is connected to the walking beam by means of a hanger. The weight is reciprocated by the walking beam on guides which restrain the weight in a definite path.

It is also an object of our invention to pro'- vide an arrangement whereby the pull on the weight is always substantially parallel to the extension of the guides. The point of pivot of the hanger is so positioned that it swings an equal distance to either side of a horizontal line, extending through the point of pivot of the walking beam, during afreciprocation of the walking beam.,J By such arrangement the lateral defieotion of the hanger pivot will be a minimum and the lateral pull upon the counterweight will be very small.

It is a very important object of our invention to provide a means for detaching the counterweight from the walking beam in the event that the pump plunger becomes disconnected from the walking beam. The hanger has a hook formed at the lower end thereof which extends through an eye of the counterweight for supporting it from the walking beam, and we accomplish this object of our invention by attaching an unhooking weight to the hook by means of a flexible cable. Under ordinary pumping conditions, the counterweight and the unhooking weight reciprocate together. However, should the string of sucker rods break and the weight on the end of the walking beam to which it is attached be greatly diminished, the counterweight will pull the opposite end of the walking beamdownwardly beyond its normal lower position. The counterweight will engage a stop which will remove the weight of it from the hookot the hanger. The unhooking weight, however, meets no obstruction and continues to move downwardly. This unhooking weight is connected in such a manner that it places a lateral pull upon the hook which removes this hook from engagement with the eye' of the counterwei t, thereby detaching the weight. The wal 'ng beam by this action is again substantially in balance and may reciprocate withthe walking beam crank. The pitman will not be disconnected and there will be no damage done to these parts.

Other objects and the especial advantages of our invention will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the two sheets of drawings in which we illustrate a preferred form of our invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the utility of our invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partially in section showing the counterweight construction of our invention.

Fig. 3 is a view of our counterweight construction taken at right angles to Fig. 2 and substantially as indicated by the arrow 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is ahorizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is 'a large fragmentary sectional view showing a means for guiding a cable of our unhooking device.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fra entary section taken on the line 6-6 o Fig. 5.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing we show a walking beam 11 pivoted at 12 to the upper end of a Sampson post 13. A stirrup 14 connects a polish rod 15 of a string of sucker rods 16 to an end 17 of the walking beam 11. A pump plunger 19 is secured at the lower end of the string of sucker rods 16 and is reciprocated thereby when the walking beam l1 reciprocates. A stirrup 21 of a pitman 22 extends over an end 23 of the walking beam-11. The lower end of the pitman 22 has a slot 24 through which a p1n 25 of a walking beam crank 26 extends. When the walking beam crank 26 is rotated, an oscillating movement is given to the walking beam 11 by the pitman 22. This reciprocates the string of sucker rods 16 and reciprocally operates the plunger 19. A counterweight construction 30 is provided for counter-balancing the weight placed on the end 17 of the walking beam 11 by the pump plunger 19. This construction of our invention is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 6 of the drawings.

With particular reference to Figs. 2 and 3, a beam bracket 31 is secured to a lower face 32 of the walking beam 11 adjacent to the end 23 thereof by means of bolts 33 which extend through a back portion 34 of the beam bracket 31. Through flanges 36 of the bracket 31 there extends a bolt 37 which supports a collar 38. The center of thebolt- 37 swings an equal distance above and below a horizontal plane indicated by the line A-A. This line A-A extends through the pivot point 12 of the walking beam 11, as well as through the center of the bolt 37 and collar 38, which bolt and collar are a pivot for a hanger 41."

The hanger 41 has an eye 42 formed at the upper end thereof which surrounds the colla-r 38. At the lower end of the hanger 41 there is formed a hook 44 which is arranged to extend throu h an eye 45 of a counterweight bar 46 whichextends through a counterweight 47.

The counterweight has a pair of vertically extending sleeves 49 -through which guide bars 50 extend. The lower end of the guide bars 50 are secured to a plate 51 which may be supported on a beam 52 of the derrick of the well. The upper ends of the guides 50 extend through collar portions 54 of an upper guide support 55. The guide support 55 is secured to the engine house of the derrick equi ment by bolts 56 which extend through anges 57 formed on the ends of legs 58.

An lear 60 is formed on the hook 44 to which ear there attaches a flexible cable 61. The flexible cable extends laterally and passesthrough a guide sleeve 62. The guide sleeve 62 has trunnions 63 which extend through brackets 64, which brackets are secured to a plate 65 by rivets 66. The plate 65 is secured to the counterweight 47 preferably at one corner thereof by bolts 68. The lower end of the cable 61 has an unhooking Weightsecured to the lower. end thereof by means of an eye 71 through which the cable extends. This weight, as .clearly shown in the drawings, rests' adjacent to the counterweight 47.

The counterweight 47 is of such a weight as to properly counterbalance the weight placed on the walking beam by the plunger 19. During the operation of the pumping equipment. the counterweight 47 reciprocates with the Walking beam through positions indicated bvd'otted lines 73 and 74 of Fig. 2. Should the plunger be disconnected from the walking beam, for example, as by breakage of the string of sucker rods, the weight on the end 17 of the walking beam would be removed. There would be an enormous preponderance of weight placed on the end 23 of the walking beam by the counterweight 47. This would swing the walking beam 11 violently downward. The oounterweight 47 is arranged to engage stop members 75 when it moves below its normal lower position. When it strikes these stops, the weight thereof is removed from the walking beam and the hook 44 is free in the eye 45. The unhooking weight 70 does not meet with any restraint. and therefore tends to continue its downward movement even though the movement of the counterweight 47A is arrested. The weight 70 places a. lateral pull upon the hook 44 and, because the hook 44 is at this time free, pulls it sidewardly'into the position indicated by the dotted lines 77 of Fig. 3. The counter- Weight 47 by this operation is unhooked from the'walking beam 11 which places the Walking beam again in substantial equllib- "As the Walking beam crank reciproc-ates, the Walking beam will oscillate therewith, andthere will be no damage to these. parts by an unhooking of tbc pit-man 2Q.. It is very evident that it would be quite impossible for the crank 'to lift the end E23 of the Walking beam 11 were not the counter- Weight' 47 unhooked therefrom, and if the Walking beam could not reciprocate. the pitman would be disconnected from the end 23 and would fall from place and'be destroyed.

The guide sleeves 62, being pivoted, move into any position to accommodate the cable 61. The Weight is reciprocated with the walking beam 11 even after the countervreight 47 has been unhooked.

The strain placed on the guides 50 will be a minimum due to the pivoting of the upper end of the hanger so that it will swing an equal distance to either side of the horizontal line A-A. It is recognized that such positioning creates only a small amount of sideward movement in the upper end of the hanger 41.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination: a Walking beam; a pump plunger connected to said Walking eam by a string of sucker rods; a walking beam crank connected to said Walking beam by a pitman by which said walking beam is reciprocated, thus operating said plunger; a hanger pivotally secured to said Walking beam; a counterweight supported by said hanger for balancing the Weight of said plunger on said walking beam; a stop arranged for engagement by said counterweight when vsaid plunger is disconnected from said walking beam; and means for releasing said counterweght when same engages said stop.

2. In combination: a walking beam; a pump plunger connected to said walking beam by a string of sucker rods; a Walking beam crank connected to said walking beam by a pitman by which 'said Walking beam is reciprocated, thus operating said plunger; a' hanger pivotally secured to said Walking beam, said hanger having a hook aty the lower end thereof; a counterweight supported on'said hook for counteubalancing the weight of said plunger on said walking beam, said counterweight reciprocating with said walking beam; a stop arrangedy to be engaged by said counterweight when said plunger becomes disconnected vfrom said walking beam; and means for disconnecting said counter-Weight and said hook when said counterweight engages said stop.

3. In combination: a Walking beam; a

pump plunger connected to said Walking beam by a string of sucker rods; a Walking beam crank connected to said Walking beam by a pitmanby which said walking beam is reciprocated, thus operating said plunger; a hanger pivotally secured to said Walling beam, said hanger having a hook at the lower end thereof; a counterweight supported on said hook for counter-balancing the weight of said plunger on said Walking beam, said counterweight reciprocating with said walking beam; a stop arranged to be engaged by said counterweight when said vplunger kkbecomes disconnected from said walking beam: and an unhooking Weight attached to said hanger by a cable, said `unhooking Weight being arranged to unhook said hook from said counterweight when said counterweight engages said stop.

4. In combination: a Walking beam; a pump plunger connected to said Walking beam by a string of sucker rods; a Walking beam crank connected to said Walking beam by a pitman by which said walking beam is reciprocated, thus operating said plunger; a hanger pivotally secured' to said walking beam, said hanger having a hookV at the lower end thereof; a counterweight supported on said hook for counter-balancing the Weight of said plunger on said walking beam, said counterweight reciprocating with said walking beam; guides on which said counterweight reciprocates; a stop arranged to be engaged by said counterweight when said plunger becomes disconnected from said walking beam; and means for disconnecting said counterweight and said Y beam, said hanger having a hook at the'l lower end thereof: a counterweight supported on said hook for counter-balancing the weight of said plunger on said Walking beam, said counterweight reciprocating with said Walking beam; guides on which said counterweight reciprocates; a stop arranged to be engaged by said counterweight when said plunger becomes disconnected from said Walking beam; and an unhooking weight attached to said hanger by a cable. said unhooking weight being arranged to unhook said hook from said counterweight whensaid counterweight engages said stop.

G. In combination: a walking beam; a pump plunger connected to one end of said walking beam by a string of sucker rods; a Walking beam crank connected to the other end of said walking beam whereb said walking beam is reciprocated; a anger having a hook formed at the lower end thereof pivot-ally attached to said walking beam; a counterweight having an eye whereby it is hooked onto said hook, said counterweight being arrangedv to counterbalance the Weight of said plunger and reciprocating with said IWalking beam; guides on which said counterweight reciprocates; a member attached to said hook; an un- -hookingweight attached tov said member,

removingsaid. hook from engagement with said eye, thus 'unhooking said counterweight and allowing said walking beam to reciprocate.

7. In combination: a Walking beam; a pivot for supporting said walking beam; means for oscillating said walking beam through a stroke of definite length; a Weight connected to said Walking; beam; and means for disconnecting said Weight from said walking beam when said Walking` beam exceeds the lower limit of its definite stroke.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands at Long Beach, California, this 30th day of April, 1925. 4

JOHN R. GIGNOUX. THOMAS SEVERNS. 

